Hunter
01/11/24
An Iowa City man who threatened Johnson County prosecutors, KCJJ staff and an Iowa City Police officer is now facing federal charges.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports 32-year-old Samuel McElmeel was indicted last month in U.S. District Court for three counts of an interstate transmission of a threat. He is accused of threatening Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann Smith and assistant prosecutor Jeff Brunelle — on June 5 by sending emails stating he would “cut off their faces” and harm a prosecutor’s family, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in Johnson County District Court.
McElmeel also is accused of sending emails June 8 to an unidentified victim, threatening to “stick a dull knife” into the person as McElmeel tortures them. The next day, assistant prosecutor Brunelle told Iowa City police that McElmeel had sent more threatening emails overnight, directed to other members of the Johnson County Attorney’s Office and county officials in Oregon, and FBI agents and others. His emails included threats to kill a child and bomb the United States. McElmeel also made an additional threat the next week to kill President Joe Biden.
On August 1st, McElmeel sent additional threatening emails, including to the official KCJJ email account. He included his own Social Security number in one of the emails. He demanded that the station take down stories about the charges filed against him, and made statements that he would, quote, “personally destroy and torture everything related to you,” and that he would, quote, “cut your flesh.” One email stated McElmeel would cut off an Iowa City Police officer’s genitals and feed them to him.
The harassment charges were dropped because federal prosecutors were charging him instead.
McElmeel has pleaded not guilty to all three counts. A judge set trial for February 26th and ordered him to remain in jail, at request of prosecutors. A detention hearing is scheduled for next Tuesday.